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Thursday, January 20, 2011

Oh the little baby in my tummy, I'm not sure that you're feeling the love... I forget about you sometimes because I'm kind of busy with your big brother and you are so wonderful that you don't make me sick, you don't make me hurt, you don't give me heartburn, and you don't make me whine to your father. So it's almost like I take you for granted. And even though I don't read the pregnancy week by week this time around, and I don't text your Dad about your size compared to fruits, we still can't wait for your arrival. This pregnancy is FLYING by-- I can't believe you're almost half way done in there... before I know it, you're going to be in our house and in our arms and in our pictures, and that will be just wonderful!

Pretty soon, we'll know if you're a boy or a girl and you'll have a name, and it will start the process.... we'll make sure you have plenty of clothes and the cutest room and lots of love. That just makes it so real. Sometimes the idea of having another baby stresses me out, but don't worry, it's not you, it's me. You see, I'm a CONTROL FREAK and the thought of 2 kids under two makes my blood pressure spike, but it's gonna be great for all of us because it means that I'll need more of Jesus, which makes room for less of me, and that's just a win/win all around!

I can't wait to see your face and your frog legs. I can't wait to hold you and snuggle you and carry you around. Every time I see tiny babies in public, I get so excited. And I watch the baby story on TLC or anything else having to do with pregnancy and just weep, because after having your brother, I know what a blessing you are, and how absolutely amazing it is to get to have you too.

Thank you thank you thank you for being so low maintenance- you make being pregnant GREAT... and last night, as your Dad and I were falling asleep, he said the same thing. We can't thank you enough for being easy on ole mom.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Here we go again... I find myself at another "19th" of a month, absolutely shocked by how quick this is all happening. I swear I just brought you home, my little baby, and now you're talking and making sentences and learning and asserting your will. It's crazy! You're still Mr. Wonderful and I love you more and I love being your mom more than I ever imagined possible. And to be honest, you're more crazy about me now than you were before, and you were crazy about me before-- this is super fun and super hard at the same time. I try to tell you that sometimes I just have to unload the dishwasher and it has nothing to do with my love for you, but you just stand their, pulling on my legs, and wailing. And now that you say Mommm-mmmy Mommm-mmmy Mommm-mmmy, I can't be expected to do anything but stop what I'm doing and pick you up. It's the only thing to do in such a heart-melting situation.

Today, when I got home from work and took you to my room so I could change out of my work clothes, you looked around and said "Maggie bye bye?" And I said yes, Maggie went bye bye. You smiled and went back to what you were doing- it's like you knew that we just had a conversation and you were proud of us.

You still eat well and I have to sneak veggies into your stuff all the time- but don't tell you. And like Dr. Josephson warned, your appetite has decreased. But at this point, you know what you like and always manage to have room for fruit, especially berries, and any sweets. You have a radar for that kind of thing.

You are a big boy and if you knew those words, you'd tell us all that you want to be treated like one. You want to eat what we're eating, sit where we're sitting, hold what we're holding, and do what we're doing. It's fun, most of the time, and sometimes extremely dangerous and hard for your mother.

I recently had to add a pass code to my phone, because you know how to slide your finger across the screen, unlock it, and answer calls, make calls, send emails, and this could be a social disaster for me. Everyone know that there are a few numbers in ones phone just as a reminder of who not to call, and to make sure that if they ever call you, you have their name and know to avoid them-- but Max, I'm pretty sure you're going to call one of them any day and I'm going tie D-I-E, die!! The other day, while me, Daddy and Gabe were playing a game at the table, you answered my phone twice, thank goodness it was only Annie, and had two 90 second conversations with her before hanging up on her. It was only once you went to bed, that I heard my phone ringing and she told me what had happened-- oh my goodness my child, how do you know all of this?

You still sleep around 11 hours at night and between 3 and 4 hours during the day. Have I mentioned that you are a joy?? You make us laugh (and pull our hair out) and I just can't believe how fast you've turned into a little person instead of a baby. I am so excited about what is ahead, but I really wish I could slow it down and enjoy it all for more.

You still wear size 4 diapers, and 18 month clothes. Your shoes are the same too. You might be getting a little thinner, but don't you worry, your cheeks are still chubby and fluffy and wonderful and oh my goodness, I could eat them up.

You've had to have yet another haircut- it grows like a darn weed. It was a mullet and it wasn't good. And now that Lindsey is a big deal and works in a salon, we had to find you your own haircut place. It was pretty cute.

My Max, I'm so proud of you and intrigued by your little mind. I love reading books and singing songs and hanging out with you. You are so fun! Your Dad and I still fight over who gets to get you out of bed in the morning when we're both home, and you and Gabe play together so well. He'll entertain you anytime I need a second and I'm pretty sure he likes your bath time just as much as you do, although I do have to mop down the whole bathroom after you two are done... You let Gabe carry you like you're a rag doll and you think it's awesome. You also think that Gabe is the funniest person ever! You get so excited when you hear the garage at the end of the day and you stand waiting for your Daddy. He steals kisses from you and plays ball with you until bedtime. Anytime I leave you two alone, all you do it play and eat. It's a man thing :) I thank God for you every night and I'm still amazed at how He continues to bless our family. I just pray that you see Him and get Him and accept Him soon-- I can't wait until your heart is ready to hear all about that and I hope in the meantime that God will continue to use me and Daddy to show you all about God's perfect love. We're not perfect, but we sure do love you, even when you keep us up all night! You're our best bubba, thanks for spending your first 17 months with us... I'll take 9456034576849 more please!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

On Monday, our first snow day, Max objected to his nap. After a nice stint outside we were all excited for family nap time... but Max apparently takes the day off from naps when it's a snow day. And yes, I tried multiple times- it was a no-go. Then at 7pm, we put Max to bed because he had NO naps. He took a quick nap, and then woke like clock work at 8:15pm, like he knew the BSC Championship was about to start. I got him out of bed and he sat on the couch and watched Butball with us- the WHOLE game! He went to bed at midnight after not sleeping all day. Why? Because he is OBSESSED with balls and sports.

While watching the game on Monday night, my future flashed before my eyes. Our boy is so talented (no I'm not biased) that someday I'm going to be watching him play some game that involves a ball, on tv. And he will be the star, so they're going to do a pre-game story on him, naturally, and they're going to interview us, his parents, so I need to remember all his stories and love for this stuff at such an early age... here is my memories:

Since Max became semi-mobile, the ONLY toy he goes to on his own are balls. He started with just 2 and now has 2 full baskets. Even though his shelves are packed with really great toys, he only plays with balls. If I grab a puzzle or a book, he'll oblige me for a few minutes before heading back to the balls.

He has played catch since he could sit up. He has a great arm. Men stop me everywhere I go, letting me know that he's going to be the next Joe Montana. Seriously, if I've heard it once, I've heard it a million times. People come out of the woodwork to watch him in action.

(At this point I got distracted and I'm just now picking to post back up, a week later!)

Max knows the difference between baseball, soccer, football, and basketball. He has pj's with the balls on them, and I can ask "where is the soccer ball" and he'll point to it. He knows the kick soccer balls and can dribble all around our house. When we were in Indiana over Thanksgiving, he saw someone dribbling a basketball and taught himself that as well. Uncle Eli got him a basketball goal for Christmas- and although it's 3 times his height and although he couldn't even come close to a basket on Deceber 25th, but January 15th, he was making baskets like crazy. He can do it with basketballs, footballs, and any other ball he gets his hands on. He stands at the goal and shoots baskets for 20 minutes at a time. NO 17 month old has that kind of attention span- and Max only does when it comes to balls.

Max also has a baseball tee and a bat. The ball is attached to the tee (Thanks Rodriguez's!) and Max bats it around constantly as well. And when he gets tired of that, he carries the bat and finds another ball and tosses it up to hit it. Like in the air. Holy hand-eye coordination!

Max also does drills with himself- he positions himself right in front of a wall and bounces balls against the wall and catches them. Constantly. He also positions himself in front of the stairs and throws balls at the stair that's eye level with him. It bounces right back and he catches it in the air. This is super fun for him and makes him giggle. Seriously. No one showed him this or makes him, he just does it!

Anything that's round-ish, is a ball. And anything that's straight-ish and stick-like is a bat.

Max can't even talk, but he plays football with Chad. He tossed him the ball, Chad says "hut hut" and Max runs out, turns around, and catches the ball.... over and over and over and over and over.

If basketball is on TV, Max shouts "Basketball" and shoots his imaginary ball up in the air. If it's football, he shouts "Butball" and climbs up on the couch to watch... although sometimes he pretends he gets tackled and dives to the ground. He LOVES soccer- mainly soccer commercials and we're not quite to baseball season yet, so we're eagerly awaiting that!

This isn't something we've taught him, it's just in his blood. Max is a natural, and we can't wait to see which team signs him first!!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Yes, we live in Georgia, yet, this is already our 3rd experience with snow/ ice-- crazy!! My grandma who lives in Indiana keeps calling to get the scoop because this really cracks her up. Then she made a joke about global warming- funny woman.

Anyway, on Sunday night, the good Lord dumped a bushel of beautiful snow on top of our house. Chad and I were watching a movie and all of a sudden there were bright lights shining in the windows. I went to open one and it was because there were INCHES of snow. This NEVER happens in GA! We got about 5 inches before it started to sleet/ freezing rain, which made a thick coating on top of the snow.

We took Max outside to play, not certain how he would feel about it. He had on long john's, 3 pairs of socks, big shoes so his fat socked feet would fit, 2 hats, a thermal and a sweatshirt, 2 pairs of pants- then his coat. (Obviously, we don't have really snow clothes for the child-- we live in GA for Pete's sake!) Needless to say, he was the walking Michelin man baby and it would make him fall and when he fell, he would get stuck. But despite falling, it didn't soak thru the layers so he never got cold.

Both entrances to our neighborhood are big hills- so we couldn't get out of our place if we wanted to. (Please make note that I am NOT brave at all when it comes to ice and losing control and I could not be paid to get in the car and "hope" we make it somewhere without landing in a ditch or in a wall or stuck for hours behind a jack-knifed truck.) BUT we did load Max in his stroller and walk up to the main road. There were no tire marks down our whole road, and only one set on the big highway in the front of our neighborhood. Crazy! And we found out from the news that many of the roads near our house were closed.

Seeing at thought I've lived in the south my whole life, I had NO idea how difficult it was to walk in thick/ deep snow. I was so out of breath from walking up the hill that you would've thought I had gone for a swift jog. Chad was tired too, but he was pushing Max. The only excuse I had is that my pants were too tight and restricted how much oxygen I could get! On the way home (downhill) Chad just held the stroller and skied downhill. I was a nervous Nellie and begged him to put the stroller rope on his arm, but apparently that's not manly.

If any of you know Chad, then you know that the man doesn't hold still. He always is working on something or playing with something, so by late afternoon on Day 1, he was going nuts! But obviously there was no driving to be done. So he went exploring. First he was to a gas station up the road, made friends with the manager, and discussed the BCS championship. Then he came home to report his findings. There were cars trying to get out of our neighborhood spinning out, one girl ended up in a ditch... not good! Then he walked back up to the main road and went to Ingles. He got me some Cherry Coke- I was majorly craving it, and popcorn for the both of us for game time snacks. He made it home just in time for dinner :)

Some important things to note: if we're going to continue with this kind of winter, I need maternity snow pants-- I squirshed our baby! Also, Max will need appropriate clothing as well! Secondly, being snowed in makes Chad and I eat, and eat, and eat. We had 4 cups of hot apple tea (yum) biscuits and gravy, pb & j with chips and dip, pizza and brownies, and popcorn during the game. Third, I didn't enter this storm with enough cookie dough on hand- fail! And lastly, a real snowy snowday in the south east, on the same day as the BSC championship, that Auburn wins, is proof that God loves the SEC :)

Friday, January 7, 2011

My Max is so full of himself. And he's started doing this fake, adorable, smile-- from ear to ear with squinty eyes and sound effects, including fake laughing. It says, "I'm cute and I know it, and my Boggy (me) is so wrapped around my finger!" Well for several months, I have been able to ask Max for a hug or a kiss and he will stop what he's doing and walk over and grant my request. Without fail, he is never too busy for his mother. Oh, be still my heart!

That was, until this week.

Now, I ask for a hug and he does the aforementioned smile, while RUNNING AWAY, and and shaking his head no. He thinks he is so funny-- he just cracks himself up. Even if I pretend I am sad, he will not give in-- he gets that from Pops, my Dad-- stubborn as an ole Noblitt! He'll go sit on the bottom step, lean back, and continue shaking his head no.... and just a giggling away. So now when I chase him, instead of saying "I'm gonna get you"-- I say "I'm gonna kiss you!" and I whisper it very softly and it makes him so nervous that he runs into my arms and gets his faced kissed right off!

Also, for a long while, I have asked him, "Max, where's my baby?" And he'd point to himself and grin. I also ask, "Where's my Max?" and "Where's my best bubba?" and he'll look down at himself, point, and grin. It was like he knew he was a lucky man to be mine.

Until this morning.

Every time I asked him one of my questions, he would point to me, or the tv, or a framed pictures. One time, he even looked around the room, like he was trying to find something "good". So then I said where's my punky monkey? (Punky monkey is the kid version of punk) AND instantly, Max pointed to himself and then grinned ear to ear.

He's proud to be a punky monkey! And at least for now, it's rather funny and rather cute!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Last night, Chad and I spent some time just talking. There were no phones, no tv, and the boys were in bed. It was just us. And sometimes, you just need that. It was like a 30 minute mini-date. The conversation went like this...

First of all, I was telling Chad about what I had been reading in the bible. I've started the read the bible in a year plan, and this particular plan is in chronological order. So it started with creation (obviously!) and moved to Cain and Abel, then Noah and the Ark, and then where his sons ended up. Then we jumped to Job. So I was telling Chad about how Job really freaked me out because it just didn't add up with God's character in my opinion. I went on to explain that I knew it was just in my head, because God doesn't act out of character, but that I hated that Job had to go through all of that, just because Satan is stupid and I want to punch him in the face. Chad just looked and me and said "yeah, it's all in your head".

HA!!

Then we moved to discussing pregnancy. I had my 16 week doctor appointment yesterday, so I was talking him through my conversation with the doctor. Then naturally I was discussing how everything on my body was getting bigger and uglier and how this really bothered me because prior to getting pregnant myself, I thought pregnant women were the most beautiful things EVER-- and now they make me want to gag. Chad says, "Don't gag, what did you expect? This happened last time too". I choked on my own breath because he just validated that I was bigger and uglier and so Chad said, "You're the one that said uglier, I'm just agreeing with bigger-- and I like bigger." Then he smirked-- yep, he was talking about "the girls".

HA!!

So then, due to an argument we had this past weekend, Chad pointed to my head and heart and said "what's going on in here?" (This weekend I was upset that he wasn't taking time to check in with what was going inside of me, so that was his way of checking in :) ) I replied like Chad used to reply in our dating days. "Not much going on in here". So then we took a brief trip down memory lane-- I asked if he remembered that I used to ask him ALL the time what he was thinking. And he would respond, "Not much going on in here" and it annoyed him SO much. Then he thanked me for not asking him that anymore. And I laughed and joked with him that I didn't care anymore what he was thinking. Chad retorts, "Yeah, that's because we're married-- now you want to know "What the hell were you thinking????"

HA!!

Then, Chad went in for a kiss (TMI??) and stopped just before making contact to point out THE DARK CIRCLES under my eyes. I kid you not.

And when I woke up this morning and remembered all of this, it just cracked me up. I am in no way insecure when it comes to all of this, I know withOUT a doubt that Chad loves me, just like I am. And believe it or not, none of these comments made me mad or hurt my feelings. And I think it's because of intimacy-- being known and knowing someone fully without the fear of rejection-- I know Chad is all in with me, and while I would appreciate him writing me love poems and gawking at my hot-ness too, pointing out my dark circles is real, and real love. Plus, Chad shows me he loves me all the time-- in how he treats me at home and in front of others, in how he takes care of our kids, and in how he responds to me. And there is just no one else I'd rather be doing this with! Plus, let's be honest, no matter how hard they try, men are men and say stupid things-- we can't really hold it against them and expect to get anywhere!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

I have had several people ask me about this (mainly because I'm over the top and people like to laugh at me) and recently my friend Maranda asked if I would blog about this, so this one is for her :) And it's about meal planning.

I have found that meal planning for at least 7 days, 10 when I'm really on top of things, is the best method for not blowing the grocery budget. The more you go, the more you spend. And if you go without a plan, omg, who knows what you're going to come out of there with!

So I start with our family calendar-- this is where work stuff, church stuff, appointments, Gabe and Max's activities, mine and Chad's morning/ evenings out of the house, and all vacations are written. I assess the week and make notes of what night I don't need a dinner plan or nights when it will be just Chad (aka frozen pizza night) or just me (aka cereal night). I usually color code it-- each family member has their own color- but this month my pens were MIA because our family artist was "writing a book".

Next, I plan a meal for every night of the week. It's important to plan a leftovers night every 4ish days, too, or else a lot of food will go to waste. Chad isn't a huge fan of leftovers, so I try to take what I can in my lunch, since I have access to a fridge and microwave at work. And I'm not above bribing him with ice cream or another treat if he cleans his leftovers plate :) Also, some nights are "easy" food, with just a few ingredients (like hamburgers, buns, sweet potato fries and baked beans)- that's a major money saver- while other nights are yummy recipes which are meals to look forward to (like baked ziti with spinach and bread).

Then, once the meals are planned, it's time for the grocery list. I start with breakfast and lunch, opening the pantry and the fridge to assess what we need-- I write down EVERYTHING because if it's not on the list, it doesn't get bought! (That's a rule, or else you'll make impluse buys like crazy-- especially if you're hungry!) Then I move to dinner-- I get out the cookbooks and recipes for every meal I planned and add all ingredients to my grocery list after making sure that I don't already have it in my kitchen.

And lastly, I note everything on my board-- I have day of the week magnets, the meal plans are listed under it in black and any "plans" we have they may affect a meal are written in red.

(**Coupons are great- especially if you shop at Publix because they double them. I tried it, and it was great. But it's just not doable at this stage of life for me-- I've decided that other things have priority-- but if you have time, you WILL notice a big difference! Also, watch for sales on staple items-- for instance, we always eat cereal and juice boxes for Gabe's lunch- so when they're on sale, I buy a lot and I don't buy them when they're not on sale. Everything goes on sale at some point, and Publix has GREAT buy one get one free sales.)

Lastly, when you come up with a new meal idea, write it down-- I just keep a little spiral notebook in with my cookbooks-- that way you're not always scratching your head for meal ideas. And then you can rotate them in and out when you're in the mood, that way you don't have the same 7 meals each week. For a while, I feel like we had taco night once a week and eventually my mexican food loving family was OVER IT! The notebook provides a plethora of ideas that you only have to think of once, and it's less work for your brain :) And when you just can't think of that one last meal idea for a week, ask your hubby what he's in the mood for-- Chad always comes up with something that I never would have!

Welcome to the newly wed world Maranda-- you're a great wife and steward of what God has given you all :) Love you!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

We started 2011 with a bang: DONUTS! As you may know, I have a slight obsession with donuts, they are only my very favorite food in the entire world. I think my favorite are from a bakery in Bandera, TX by Chad's parents-- they are just delicious.

Anyway, after a late night out (something a pregnant woman should never do: stay up past 9pm) we made it home about 1am. Max went right back to sleep and so did we. But about 8am, a certain little man was waking up-- bad news for us! But the little angel came into our bed and snuggled until 9am, then watched Sesame Street rather quietly for another hour. Seriously! I got up at 10am on my own accord... mainly because a certain other baby (the apple in my tummy) was causing me so major hunger pangs!

So off to the kitchen I went to try out my brand new DONUT MAKER!!! I made the basic recipe and coated them in a chocolate glaze. It was surprisingly easy and yummy! Chad came into the kitchen as I was finishing up the preparations and took a look around-- then he said "You are the messiest cook in the world". And before "the look" could even be fully formed and given to him, he followed up with "but you're the best cook in the world". Smart man :)

And I'm not the only one who loves donuts... I have passed that magical trait onto my son. Max can spot them from a mile away, much like his mother... his nose tells him when they're in the vicinity... his eyes grow, as does his smile, and he tracks down the nearest one and inserts it into his mouth very efficiently!

I tried to give him some turkey sausage for protein and some fruit as well, but he only wanted the donuts-- He's a beacon of health! And it wasn't long before he discovered that these mini homemade donuts made great jewelry:

I'm still cleaning chocolate out from under his finger nails :) Happy 2011!

About Me

We were married on June 26th, 2008, and in December 2008, we found out we were expecting a baby boy. Chad already had a son, but this was my first. Max was born on August 19, 2009, and then we added Jack to our family on May 21, 2011 and Sam on May 3, 2013-- thanks to these boys, I've been learning new lessons everyday.
We are very blessed and saved by the blood of Jesus. It is through Him, in Him, and for Him that we grow our marriage, our boys, and our relationships with others.